Audi e-tron Quattro all-electric concept SUV coming soon

Audi will soon be introducing a full-electric SUV in the international market. Slated to make its debut in 2018, the company has just revealed a sketch of the vehicle’s concept. Named as Audi e-tron quattro, the four-wheel drive SUV will be slotted between the Q5 and Q7 models when launched in the market. The concept car will be displayed for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

Underpinning the SUV will be the well-known second-generation MLB (modular longitudinal matrix) platform from the Volkswagen group. The main part of the vehicle will be its drivetrain which will be taken from the R8 e-tron. Featuring a total of three electric motors, one will be placed on the front axle while the remaining two will power each of the two rear wheels.

In the R8 e-tron, all the electric motors combined produce 456 BHP of power and a mammoth 919 Nm of torque. Therefore, even the upcoming SUV should feature a similar power and high torque figure. The motors have been placed in low positions to keep the centre of gravity of the SUV low.

The concept’s design is very aggressive with a sloping roofline, massive wheel arches, big alloy wheels, a bold front stance with what might be the company’s new grille design, roof-mounted rear spoiler and a new rear end design as well. When launched in the market, the Audi SUV will look similar to the BMW X6 and Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe, if not bigger than these two.

Audi has also said that the Audi e-tron quattro electric SUV will have a range of more than 500 kilometres in one go, which is pretty impressive. This long range can be achieved thanks to the vehicle’s low drag coefficient of just 0.25. The SUV will also feature movable panels that will help in improving the aerodynamics.